


Destiny

by isnt_it_pretty



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen, Near Death Experiences, Sickness, Spirit World, The Earth King, episode s2e18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:40:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22564891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isnt_it_pretty/pseuds/isnt_it_pretty
Summary: Zuko ignored the comment, and ignored the feeling of longing that he didn’t quite understand.  “Where am I?”Lu Ten looked into his eyes and answered, “A peaceful place. A place where you do not yet belong.”
Comments: 5
Kudos: 121





	Destiny

**Author's Note:**

> I'm clearing out my writing, and am posting the stuff I never got around to posting before. This is a short one shot I wrote a few years ago.
> 
> Find me on tumblr at isnt-it-pretty.tumblr.com and discord at Canadeath#1368

He was in a meadow. 

A gentle breeze - _ too warm _ \- moved the soft grass - _ too soft -  _ he was laying on, tickling his skin. The sky above him was clear and blue, unnaturally so; and the meadow was silent, far too silent to be any place he could remember. It was not, however, the too warm breeze, too soft grass, too blue sky, or too silent meadow, that told Zuko something was not right. No, it was the figure sitting next to him, admiring the vast cloudless sky.

“You know,” the figure said, “I was wondering when I’d get to see you again.”

Zuko sat up, breathing deeply. It felt odd to breathe, although he couldn’t remember why. “Lu Ten,” he said quietly, ignoring the part of him that wondered how he knew who the figure was. Ignoring the part of him that said  _ no, this is wrong, Lu Ten is- _

His cousin nodded, finally turning to look at him. “You’ve grown quite a bit, cousin.”

It’s true. They had last seen each other since he was ten, before Lu Ten left for Ba Sing Se. Lu Ten however, looked no different from Zuko’s memory. His smile; still soft, his eyes the same shade of gold. 

Zuko ignored the comment, and ignored the feeling of longing that he didn’t quite understand. “Where am I?”

Lu Ten looked into his eyes and answered, “A peaceful place. A place where you do not yet belong.”

Zuko frowned, what did that mean? Was he? No, he couldn’t be. “I am dead?” he asked. He should be scared, but he wasn’t. Everything around him was so... gentle, welcoming. Like this is where he was always meant to be.

A small smile creeped onto Lu Ten’s face. “No, not yet. Not for a very long time.”

“Then how-” Zuko began, but he was cut off.

“There are many things the living do not understand, cousin,” Lu Ten told him, “and you, however close to death you may be, are still living.” 

Zuko stared at him, “close to death?” he thought he felt his heart skip a beat, but he soon realized he couldn't feel his heartbeat at all. What was wrong, and why couldn’t he remember anything?

“Sickness of the soul is no easy task,” his cousin replied, “not all who endure it survive, and those who do are never the same.”

He looked down, remembering bits and pieces. The Avatar’s bison, his Uncle, feeling ill, fainting. “How do you know I will?”

Lu Ten laughed. It was loud, and bright. Like an echo in a metal room. “Because, young Zuko,” he said, “you have a great destiny to uphold.” He cast his gaze back towards the meadow. “You cannot escape your destiny, no matter how hard you try, and believe me Zuko, you will try.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Zuko asked, turning his attention to look back at the meadow. Wild flowers grew, vibrant red. Everything was so vibrant. 

“Because,” Lu Ten said calmly. “you will lose your way, and in the darkest times, part of you will remember.” Somewhere far away, thunder rolled. “Our time is almost up.”

“But I don't understand!” Zuko shouted, “What is my destiny? What’s happening? Why am I here?”

Again, Lu Ten smiled. Soft, not patronizing, but loving. “You are here because the spirits need you to be, Zuko. At this moment, you are in both worlds, you are both living and dead. Your heart is not beating, and your lungs fill with no air, but you are not yet dead.” He sighed. “Remember your destiny cousin, your questions will be answered in time.”

“What if I don’t want to go back?” he finally asked. “Living is hard, what if I want to stay here instead?”

“The choice is not yours, my cousin,” Lu Ten answered him. “Besides,” he let a cocky grin settle on his lips, and for a moment, he almost looked alive, “somebody has to take care of my father.”

They were silent for a moment before Zuko spoke. “I still don’t understand.”

“And that, dear cousin, is why you are here. Now hush,” Lu Ten placed a hand on his cousin’s arm. “Rest. You will need it.”

He had more questions, so many he could scream, but the world faded, until there was nothing but black.

* * *

He woke to a pounding head, and dry throat. His Uncle’s worried eyes and tired hands holding his. Exhaustion heavy in his bones and the feeling that he had forgotten a very important dream.

**Author's Note:**

> If you see and spelling / grammar mistakes, please let me know.


End file.
